《聖誕配角外傳》Day04
《 撒迦利亞 —— 總算能開口的耶穌親戚 》
57 伊利莎白的產期到了，就生了一個兒子。58 鄰里親族聽見主向她大施憐憫，就和她一同歡樂。59 到了第八日，他們來要給孩子行割禮，並要照他父親的名字叫他撒迦利亞。60他母親說：「不可！要叫他約翰。」61 他們說：「你親族中沒有叫這名字的。」62 他們就向他父親打手式，問他要叫這孩子甚麼名字。63 他要了一塊寫字的板，就寫上，說：「他的名字是約翰。」他們便都希奇。64 撒迦利亞的口立時開了，舌頭也舒展了，就說出話來，稱頌神。65 周圍居住的人都懼怕；這一切的事就傳遍了猶太的山地。66 凡聽見的人都將這事放在心裏，說：「這個孩子將來怎麼樣呢？因為有主與他同在。」67 他父親撒迦利亞被聖靈充滿了，就預言說：
68 主－以色列的神是應當稱頌的！因祂眷顧祂的百姓，為他們施行救贖， 69 在祂僕人大衛家中，為我們興起了拯救的角，70 正如主藉著從創世以來聖先知的口所說的話，71 拯救我們脫離仇敵和一切恨我們之人的手， 72 向我們列祖施憐憫，記念祂的聖約－ 73 就是他對我們祖宗亞伯拉罕所起的誓－ 74 叫我們既從仇敵手中被救出來，75 就可以終身在祂面前，坦然無懼地用聖潔、公義事奉祂。 76 孩子啊！你要稱為至高者的先知；因為你要行在主的前面，預備他的道路，77 叫祂的百姓因罪得赦，就知道救恩。78 因我們神憐憫的心腸，叫清晨的日光從高天臨到我們，79 要照亮坐在黑暗中死蔭裏的人，把我們的腳引到平安的路上。(路加福音一57-79)
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for He has visited and redeemed His people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
70 as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
73 the oath that He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve Him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to His people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us[h] from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”(Luke 1:57-79)
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for He has visited and redeemed His people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
70 as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
73 the oath that He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve Him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to His people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us[h] from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”(Luke 1:57-79)
分享：《路加福音》將耶穌出生故事的起點寫於預告施洗約翰的出生。我們大概也熟悉施洗約翰的故事，記得年老懷上約翰的伊利沙伯，但還記得另一位配角撒迦利亞——約翰的父親嗎？
當天使告之妻子將要生一兒子行在主面前，並為主預備合用的百姓，撒迦利亞卻下意識的作出質疑，說自己和妻子已年老，結果就因這麼的一段回應，他卻啞巴至約翰出生的那日。
是的，我們總有信心不足的時候，以常理限制了神的工作。在這個時候，我們能否先消停一下，閉口不言，以禱告的心睜眼看清神的工作？
撒迦利亞在妻子孕期內經歷了口不能言的九個月，這段看似難熬的時間，卻讓人知道他見了異象，除掉長久以來的羞恥和屈悶，甚至妻子見到懷著基督的馬利亞而被聖靈充滿。就在這段不能開口的日子，撒迦利亞似乎更能靜心察看神偉大的工作，心裡充滿對神的感謝和讚美。就在約翰出生當天，沈默的撒迦利亞終於能再次開口，第一句話便讚美神，以頌歌預言神要眷顧祂的百姓，在大衛家中興起「拯救的角」(參路加福音一69)；兒子約翰要行在主前預備道路；主又要像「清晨的日光」照亮在黑暗的人，將人的腳步引到平安的路上。(參路加福音一78-79)。
經歷了這次反覆思想九個月才說出來的頌歌後，聖經再也沒有記述撒迦利亞的事蹟和說話，估計他已經明白「你要專心仰賴耶和華，不可倚靠自己的聰明，在你一切所行的事上都要認定祂，祂必指引你的路。」(箴言三5-6) 是的，我們正要先信靠神，那就將精力留給讚美和榮耀耶穌基督吧！
行動：在聖誕節後的第一天，先沉靜一下，思想神的愛，向主耶穌說出讚美，並與人分享！
禱告：親愛的天父，感謝祢透過撒迦利亞的兩個片段，讓我學懂要專心仰賴神，不可倚靠自己的聰明。就讓我先睜開眼睛看看祢奇妙的作為，反覆思想祢的恩典，以口說讚美來慶祝祢的降生。奉主名求，阿們。
Posted in CGCC2